


Mountain Sound

by JediJewels25



Category: Kung Fu Panda (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22897561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JediJewels25/pseuds/JediJewels25
Summary: Xue shares one of her stories about her early days of training to Po.
Kudos: 4





	Mountain Sound

**Author's Note:**

> This one is less about Xue and Tigress’s relationship and more about Xue’s personal growth in her training. Next one will have some XuexTigress stuff.

“Hey, where’s Master Shifu?” Po asked as he jumped into the training yard. He readily energize for a day of training, but it was empty except for Xue. She was working on one of the extra rotating dummies that was posted to the ground. Po looked around, “Aren’t we supposed to be training?”

“Training hall is closed for repairs.” Xue said as she dodged and struck the spiked arms. “Shifu is practicing his meditation. He has given us the day to do as we wish.”

“Wait. You mean we have the day off?” Po asked excitedly.

“That’s one way to look at it.” Xue maintained her spot even when she dodged, “Personally I like to train every day. Alternating between light and hard days makes your skill grow over time.

“Riiight. Strengthening your kung fu.” Po made knife hand motions with his arms. “So then where’s everyone else?”

“Elsewhere.” Xue said. She was sure Tigress was off training somewhere else. As for the rest of the five they probably were relaxing. In truth a day off wouldn’t kill them, but Xue preferred to be doing something. She loved routine.

“Cool.” Po nodded. A part of him wanted to go see what the others were doing. Another part told him he should go visit his dad and maybe help in the kitchen. But the biggest part wanted to know what Xue was praticing. “So what are you working on?”

“Practicing technics without advancing or retreating."

“Woah, very cool.”

Xue smiled, “It can be used in battle. Master Shifu taught us to use movement to our advantage in a battle, however you don’t always have that option.”

“What’da mean? Like when you’re next to a giant cliff?”

“Sure, being pinned by a cliff or a barrier is a difficult obstacle to get around. Another way that can limit your movement is if you sustain and injury.”

“You mean like getting hit in the head with a bo, cause I got smacked with one when we were fighting some bandits-“

“I mean more critical. Such as a broken limb. Something that puts you at a serious disadvantage.” Xue let the arm of the dummy slow to a stop. “I was caught off guard once and had to adapt quickly in order to survive.”

Po’s full attention was caught, “You had a broken bone in battle? Was it your arm? Your leg? *gasp your tail?”

“It was my leg.” Xue chuckled before she continued, knowing full well he would want more information. “Three years ago Master Shifu sent me and Crane to Qing yuan, which is a village in the mountians. There had been some invaders causing trouble and they requested help. It was supposed to be a test for me to see if I could apply my training, if I was good enough to be a part of the Five. Crane was meant to come as backup if I needed it. But the enemy was more cunning and dangerous than we were lead to believe. We were separated, and I broke my leg.When Crane couldn’t find me he flew back to the Jade Palace to gather more backup. I was left behind and ended up facing the invaders while being temporarily disabled.”

Po’s face was a-washed in awe, “Woah. How have I not heard of this story before?!”

“Mainly those in the Qing yuan village tell the tale.”

“Tell me! Pleeeeeeeeeeease!” Po begged.

Xue smiled, “Alright. It all began on a nice, chilly day.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Most of the villagers were indifferent when it came to winter. The farmers weren’t, since nothing would grow in the cold. Traveling merchants hated the snow because it would delay them days of valuable time that could be spent selling. For Xue, she was itching for snow. Being a snow leopard, there was a natural calling to the harsh climate of a mountain top in winter that she was adapted to. Now that the season had changed, the temperature dropped, and the days had become shorter. It made her happy. There was a certain giddiness in Xue’s steps. She was more playful on the training course. The other’s could tell.

The Furious Five had accepted Xue into their school. Under Shifu and Oogway’s teachings she had quickly grown into a adequate martial artist. Of course Shifu was not as impressed.

“She’s too unfocused. Look at her, jumping around as if she is playing a game with a child.” Shifu muttered with a gesture.

Oogway chuckled, “It’s almost winter. You forget my old friend, snow leopards prefer the winter time. Their nature is to ambush in the snow. Xue’s is merely expressing her natural instinct.”

“A good martial artist learns to control their instincts in their training.”

“And a great one learns to work with it.” Oogway slowly walked along the walkway around the training area. “You must admit, she’s grown much since she first came here.”

Shifu clasped his hands behind his back, “That may be so, but she still has much to learn if she is ever going to be as good as the Five.”

“She’s only been here a year Shifu.”

“Yes, but if you recall she insisted on training with the Five. That means I must hold her to a higher standard. Until she has master the basics-” Shifu caught something out of the corner of his eye, “When did you learn that?”

The dojo came to a halt. Xue turned and answered breathlessly, “Master Tigress taught me, Master.”

Oogway smiled, “Has your extra training been rewarding?”

Xue bowed, “Yes Master. I take and hour or two each night, sometimes more, and go over what were worked on in class. However,” Xue glanced at the others, “sometimes the other masters will come work with me.”

Tigress stepped up and bowed in respect, “Forgive me masters, with her dedication and improvement I decided she was ready to learn a new form.”

Oogway was delighted, “Ah, what better way to solidify both knowledge and a bond than by teaching. Working together is an excellent use of your training.”

Shifu quickly masked the look he was expressing at his Master’s words, “But you should have asked for permission first. You are not to learn new techniques or forms from anyone else other than me unless I say so.”

“Yes Master Shifu.” The students said in unison.

Shifu waved his hand for them to continue.

Oogway frowned, “Shifu, why are you so stagnant? Xue is eager to learn, to train, to be here. She’s dedicated, why do you limit her growth?”

Shifu stopped, “I do it for her own good Master. While she may be eager to perform in class, she is not ready for a real battle. She’s too ready to pounce, she does not see the danger that lies ahead. Xue lacks complete awareness of her surroundings at all times. Her eagerness will be used against her at the first opportunity she gives her enemies. Until she can have that discipline that the Five have learned, I cannot advance her training.”

Oogway nodded, “I understand. But I think she is more capable than you think.”

Xue watched the Masters from the corner of her eye. She knew Master Shifu thought of her still as a beginner. When she first arrived she thought he’s teaching was difficult. But now she understood that while she maybe training with the highest students, she was still more or less doing the basics. He drilled the lessons she already knew. And while she understood repetition breeds proficiency, she had begun to tire for the monotony of it.

Still, when her stomach had settled from dinner, she ventured out from the bunk house to go to the training hall. Her eyes gleamed in the low light of the waning moon. She could see high clouds rolling in from the east. It was still too early for snow but the sight excited her. As Xue rounded the corner she saw a lone figure waiting.

“Master Oogway,” She exclaimed, unexpecting him.

The old turtle was lit by the lantern hooked to his staff, “I’m glad Shifu as not deterred your dedication.”

“Well I am committed to learn Kung Fu, Master.” Xue said.

“And you have not become weary in repeating the same lessons?”

Xue looked off to the side, “I admit the desire to learn new. But I did not ask Master Tigress to teach me the new form!” She said quickly, “Master Tigress offered after we had finished going through the lessons.”

Oogway smiled. “You have mastered something rather a rather difficult, you have gotten Tigress to warm up to you.” He lifted his hand and waved for her to follow, “Tonight I have a different lesson in mind.”

Xue followed, who was she to say no to her Master? They walked along in silence for a while. They were going to the Peach Tree. Xue could have easily bounced up the steps and reach the top in seconds. However, there was a nagging sense out of respect to follow the turtle regardless of his slow pace. Even though she felt awkward, she dared not pass him.

When they finally reached the top, Oogway turned to her. “Now then, tell me what’s really bothering you.”

Xue’s face turned to confusion, “What do you mean Master?”

“You’re training extra at night. It’s not because you feel you need more practice or that your are lacking good technique. It’s because you feel restless.” Oogway spoke simply.

Xue looked away, “I guess my mind doesn’t tire as fast as the others at night. But nothing is bothering me.”

Oogway blinked slowly, “So why are you?” Xue did not answer. Oogway took a step towards her, noticing her ears flatten. “You feel as though you must prove yourself.”

“Master, I don’t need to prove anything.” Xue quickly denied.

“But you want to. You want to prove to Shifu, and to the Five, and to your estranged sisters, and to me, that you are a good enough. That you are a Kung Fu warrior. And that you are good at heart.”

Xue let out a exhale. She turned to looked at the dark clouds. “I have worked to move on from my sisters. I have accepted that we no long have a relationship and that they are no longer tied to my life. But, our last interaction was... I try and not let their words get to me. Assure myself that they are just words and have no real meaning.”

“And yet, they still bother you.” Oogway respectively interjected.

“I just need to tire my head so it can’t drudge up painful memories. Otherwise sleep becomes elusive.”

Oogway nodded, “Letting go of the past can be difficult. Sometimes it does not want to go willingly. But if you let it continue to have impact, you won’t be able to move into your new life.”

“How Master? I’ve tried everything I know.”

“Kung Fu does not come from training the body, but from training the mind.” Oogway rested the lantern and his staff. “When the mind is distracted, it makes the rest of the body imbalanced. It makes it difficult to grow in your training. But, when you learn to settle your mind, your body will become balanced.”

“How do I do that?”

“Through meditation you learn to empty your mind.” Oogway took a seat and Xue joined him. “Letting go of all thoughts, control strong emotions, and you’ll even connect to the world around you.”

“Meditation.” Xue repeated as she adjusted in her seat. “I’ll give it a try.”

Oogway closed his eyes, “Close your eyes, breath deep, and let all thoughts go.”

Xue did as she was instructed. She took in deep breaths. But her mind refused to settle. She was constantly finding thoughts and emotions plaguing her mind. As soon as she sent one off another popped up. It was making Xue increasingly frustrated.

Xue let out a huff, “It’s not working. Every time I send one away my head gets caught in another; I have too many thoughts!”

“Perhaps you are thinking too much.” Oogway suggested.

“I don’t. I mean, normally I don’t do that.”

“And yet here you are, doing it now.” Oogway pointed out. He rose and took his staff, “Better keep practicing then!”

Xue watched the odd old turtle return back to the Palace. She turned back to the sky and let out another heavy sigh. “Yes Master. I will continue to try, even though I have no idea what I’m doing.”

~

Training went as usual. Xue did only as Master Shifu instructed. In the evening she tried to meditate with little success. She reminded herself that she had only been practicing two days and it would come with time.They were sparring in the yard when Zeng interrupted.

“Master Shifu,” Zeng held up a scroll, “there’s a message for you.”

Shifu, annoyed that he interrupted the training, took the scroll. “Hmm. It seams there are bandits recking havoc in the Hun Tiguan region. One of the villages, Qing yuan, is worried they will be attack and have requested help.” He looked over his students. Oogway had been nagging him to give Xue some more freedom. Shifu got the feeling if he didn’t seen her out on this, he wouldn’t hear the end of it in Oogway’s annoying metaphors. However he didn’t trust he to go alone.

“Crane,” Shifu rolled the scroll back up, “you and Xue will travel to Qing yuan and deal with the criminals.” He trusted Crane to keep and eye on her, and if there was trouble he could return back to the palace faster than any of the Five.

“Yes Master Shifu.” The two bowed.

“Go. The rest of you, continue your training.” Shifu dismissed.

Xue and Crane exited the yard and went straight for the gate. They understood the sooner they got to the village and dealt with the threat, the better. There was no time to pack supplies. They would have to make do with food and water they found along the way. The Hun Tiguan region was made up of steep mountains far to the north. It would be a two day journey, but if they pushed forward and took short breaks they could probably get there in a day, day and a half at most.

Tigress was troubled. She knew she should always trust her Master’s decisions but she knew how skilled Xue was. This was the first time she was going into a real battle.

“Master, are you sure Xue and Crane will be enough to deal with a pack of bandits?” Viper voiced the concern Tigress felt.

“There comes a time in every warriors life when they must leave the safety of the training hall and face the real battle. Unless Crane or Xue calls for backup, the rest of you will remain here until they have returned.” Shifu said firmly. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes Master.” The four responded.

~

Xue leapt up the boulders with a flourish. The higher altitude made the air thinner. The cooler temperature derived from that made early snow fall. It was drastically cold compared to the valley. Xue was loving it, her coat was thickening for winter. She flipped over onto a small trail. A small cloud formed and dissipated from her nose.

“You know you should conserve some energy.” Crane said as he strut next to her. He took breaks from flying in areas that was easier to travel through.

“I’m just excited. This is my environment.” Xue grinned breathlessly. “It’s been too long since I was last in the mountains in the winter.”

“Still. When we get to the village well need to be ready at all times.” Crane reminded.

“I know, don’t worry I will be.”

Crane paused, he was a little unsure in conversation, “You know this isn’t just a mission. Shifu is testing to see if you’re ready for more responsibility.”

“I figured.” She said.

“Shifu’s gonna keep you in basics until he thinks you’re ready for new stuff. You gotta prove to him if you ever wanna advance.”

Xue stopped to take in the view. The trail was narrow but it cut across a stunning clearing. The sun and wind caused the top layer of snow to evaporate, causing a fog lift off the ground. “I’m not clueless Crane. I know Shifu is reluctant. To him I’m still a beginner. But he wouldn’t have sent me with you if he didn’t think I wasn’t talented enough to handle myself in battle.”

“And if not I’m here to make sure you don’t get injured.”

“Occupational hazard.” Xue pointed out. “You know I’m not doing this just for fun. I really have developed an appreciation and love for Kung Fu. I want to continue with it for the rest of my life. Maybe even become a master one day. I want you to know that I do take this seriously. I just think there’s no harm in enjoying my training as well.”

“Well Shifu is, traditional.” Crane chose his word carefully.

“Traditional. That’s one way of putting-“ Xue froze. The smile sharply turned into a serious look. Her ears twitched, pupils shrunk, and her head snapped up towards the ridge. “Heads up!”

A flash of light and a spear shot towards them. Xue and Crane leapt out of the way seconds before either got hit. Xue did a couple of back flips to get into a safe area, skidding in the snow from the momentum. Now that the element of surprise was spent, the enemy was swarming over the top of the ridge. She counted 14 coming at them. Made up various sables, dholes, and a couple of wolves armed with arrows, cross bows, daggers, spears, and grapples.

Crane had taken flight. He circled before diving in to strike some of the incoming bandits. His talons knocked two off balance into the snow. Xue took a fight stance. It was better to wait for them to come to her rather than expel more energy running up to met them. Xue was positioned down hill. A dhole snarled as he was gaining in on her. She closed the last bit of distance. He lunged to bite. The dhole’s momentum carried him forward so Xue redirected it. She zoned slightly to the right, grabbing a scruff of fur, and turning and punching him right in the ribs. Then she released and let him crumple into a heap.

A second attacker charged for her now exposed backside. Xue lowered in her stance while simultaneously jamming her elbow in his face. The dhole stumbled back. Xue took advantage and front kicked him in the chest sending him flying back. Now she had adrenaline coursing through her. Xue charged at the rest of the group meeting her. Xue went for a dive roll, kicking a wolf in the face in the process. A second attacker came at her with a serrated, jagged jian. Xue back flipped out of the overhead strike. A sable armed with a spear jumped in. Xue zoned out of the way, then moved in and grabbed ahold of the center of the spear. She used her leg to take out both of his. As soon as he hit the ground, she did a palm-heel strike to his arm and twisted the spear out of his other hand. Xue leaped back, twisting the spear behind her back. It was small for her but now she had a weapon to use. The previous attacker with jian came in for a second attempt.

Meanwhile Crane was using his advantage to attack from above. He dealt with the ones at the top and worked his way into the center while Xue handled the frontal assault. Crane’s main attack was dive bombing, and grabbing bag guys off the ground and tossing them around.

A sharp whistle from one of the bad guys on the side sounded. Every archer responded by drawing either their bows or crossbows and firing.

“Incoming!” Crane shouted.

Xue saw the arrows flying. She used the back end of the spear and struck across her opponent’s face before she moved out of range. Xue allowed her feet to glide through the snow. Several arrows and bandits pursued after her. Xue had space but realized that the hill they were on was cut off by a ravine at the bottom. She skidded to a stop and turned to face the enemy once more, now mindful of the dead end.

Crane had also flown down to keep Xue in his eyesight. He saw the ravine and decided to use his Wings of Justice attack to form a gust and knock some of those archer out.

A dhole with a black spot on the fur around his eye spotted Crane. He wound up a Bolas and chucked it when Crane was in range. Just as Crane was about to release the force of his attack, the bolas snared his legs and threw him off. Instead of a controlled gust on the bad guys, the majority hit the mountain side with only a few sables getting caught in the draft. This gave the same dhole another idea.

“Give me a charge.” He said to one of his cohorts. He was handed a small rocket firework. He set it up and lit it. Then he whistled before clearing away.

The firework went off and hit the mountain with a greater force. Their was a loud rumble as massive amounts of snow and rock that were now loosen began to shift. A majority of the bandits saw and heard and began to scatter to the sides.

Crane gasped, “Xue!”

Xue was in the middle of fighting two wolves when they heard the noise. Turning they saw the rush of snow beginning to barrel towards them. An avalanche.

The three left their fighting behind and scattered to try and escape.

Crane flapped his wings, “Hang on!” He called as he dived to reach her.

The dhole leader pointed, “Shoot him down.”

Every remaining archer fired upon Crane. Forcing him to take evasive action.

Xue ran on all fours and the roar of the avalanche drowned out all out noise. She might just make it to the side where it was safe if she pushed just a little harder. Suddenly she felt a paw grab her tail. The bandits where trying to scramble over her to get to safety. As a result, it slowed all three of them down. They got caught in the avalanche.

It took all of Xue’s skill to keep on the surface. She knew if she let herself get pulled under then she’d be buried alive in seconds. Crane saw her get caught and once more attempted to swoop in. He could still make catcher her on the edge. Xue scrambled onto a boulder that was sliding down. She was doing her best but already was exhausted. As she was rapidly slinging closer to the ravine, something hit her square in the back. Xue lost complete balance. She tumbled over the boulder into the snow. Xue felt herself go over the edge. Despite her best efforts to grab ahold of something, anything to keep her from falling, she was blinded by the cloud of snow.

“XUE!!!” Crane shouted above the roaring.

_“Xue!!!” Echoed in the darkness. Xue strained to find Crane in the empty void._

_"Look who foolishly thought to come here." Wing voice hissed from the shadows._

_"Bold to assume you could show your face to us again." Wan added._

_Xue could make out their eyes in the darkness.She felt unstable in void. A new voice from her right came from the fog, “Deepen your stance. Your technique is sloppy!”_

_“Shifu?” Xue attempted to move towards him but was stuck in place. “Master wait!”_

_Wan’s laugh was close to her ear, “What made you think you could ever join them? That they’d would accept someone like you?”_

_“That you’d learn Kung Fu?” Wing added._

_Xue tried to get away from them, tripping on unseen obstacles. She looked up and saw the outlined form of Su._

_“You have always been nothing but a disappointment in this family."_

_Xue scrambled on no existent ground to get away. She felt like she was falling farther into the void. She could see the outline of the Five walking away. She reached out. She called for them but no sound came as they were getting farther from her._

_“Why should they?” Wing and Wan taunted, “You’re just a nobody with a criminal family. You’ll never be one of them.”_

_“Stop it!” Xue shouted._

_A cold sensation began to run across her skin, piercing her fur and even her bones._

_Su voice was in her ear, “No one wants you little runt. Not us, not them.”_

_Xue shut her eyes. The cold was everywhere. It consumed her._

Xue woke with a pained groan. The thuder of her lingering nightmare turned to a thud in her head. Xue was in a dim hut. Most of the light came from a fire in the center of the room. She tired to sit up to see better. A startling pain from her left leg knocked the air out of her lungs and left her dizzy. Xue tugged the blanket she had off and saw her leg was sandwiched between two pieces of wood and wrapped below the knee. She attempted to wiggle her toes and was met with the same shooting pain. Xue hissed, finally backing off and listening to her body. She carefully lifted her leg up and turned on her bum so that she was sitting up.

Xue took a break to observe her new surroundings. The hut was in a circular shape rather than a square. A thick woolen blanket was draped across the door. The few windows were covered. Everything else revolved around the fire pit. Some large pots, a narrow table by the door, and a pile of wood to burn. There was a steady creaking she couldn’t identify.

The door flap was pulled back. A female Yak and a calf came through carrying several things. When the lady saw her she exclaimed, “Don’t get up!” She cast aside her items and came around the fire to Xue. “You are very injured.”

Xue remained sitting upright, “Where am I?

“You are in the Qing yuan village, and you are lucky to be alive.” The Yak said as she worked back around the fire to pull some food. “I am Tama. This is my son Yong.”

“Xue. Is it night already? How long have I been out?” She noticed the lack of light when they came in.

“Why should I know that?” Tama scoffed. “You’ve been unconscious since Yong and his friends were out playing when they found you half buried in the snow, up the pass. You’re lucky you only broke your leg, the other two didn’t make it.”

“The others were criminals.” Xue saw Yong out of the corner of her eye, watching her with fascination. “Master Shifu sent me, we got word of bandits troubling this area. You didn’t happen to see Crane did you?”

“No. No cranes. Only you.” Tama passed a bowl of broth.

Yong brought his mat closer. “I heard that Kung Fu warriors trained so they landed every fall.” He said with a tilt of his head.

“Most of the time.” Xue humored him with a smile, “But there are a few falls even too great for me.”

“I did what I could for that leg, the splint will keep it still. You should keep in on until it heals.” Tama said as she passed a bowl to her son.

“How long will that take?”

“A month at least.”

Xue leaned forward, “A month?! I can’t take that long. Master Shifu sent me to get rid of bandits, I can’t do that with a busted leg!”

“Do you want it to get worse?” Tama snapped back. “The bone is broken. Only time and keeping it in place will make it heal. If you put any weight on it, it can cause it to heal wrong.”

Xue looked down at her leg, “How am I supposed to do Kung Fu with one leg?”

Yong’s eyes sparkled as Tama shook her head, “That’s not your concern right now. Right now, you need food and rest. In the morning I can make you a crutch so that you may move around. Now drink your broth. Both of you.”

Yong obeyed his mother right away. Tama sent him to bed after he finished. Xue was more reluctant. Her mind was restless with concern. It was difficult for her to fall asleep, even after the fire had burn down to coals.

Xue was surprised that she got any sleep at all. When she awoke it was already late into the morning. She could see sun peaking through any crack. Tama had already finished turning the supplies she had brought last night into a crutch and had breakfast prepared.

“You should stay in bed today. Rest.” Tama’s suggestion felt more like an order that a request. But Xue was itching to get up and see the area to access her surroundings.

Getting up was the easy part. Xue had never needed a crutch before. She understood the principle of it. And even thought Tama made it the perfect size, it was not easy. The hardest part was balancing on it so she could step with her other leg. Xue hadn’t even made it out of the hut and was already breathing hard. It was hard, awkward, and she almost tripped several times. After what felt like way too long to be struggling, she got through the door.

The hut was actually a mill. Xue found out the steady creaking came from the large wheel attached to the side that moved with the small river coming down the mountain side. A second house was down the path that must have been Tama’s main home. The rest of the village trickled down from the mill. It was smaller that the Valley of Peace. But despite the chill in the air, the village was just as busy. Xue explored it as best she could. There were no natural defensives she could see other than it’s location. None of the villagers looked like they were warriors. After facing the enemy, Xue realized without aid, Qing yuan would be obliterated in less than a day.

Xue found herself struggling more going uphill. Even a slight incline was difficult. Her armpit, shoulder, and side all ached by noon. More than anything however, she was frustrated at her new disability. Xue huffed as she maneuvered too sit on a large rock.

“I told you to rest.” Tama appeared to lecture.

“I needed to move. I had to see how protected you are here.”

Tama waved her hand in dismissal, “We aren’t. The most we get is the mountain from the weather. We are farmers, trades smiths, families. We have little of value here.”

“Then why are you under threat?”

“A dhole named Li Gan is the leader of those criminals. He enjoys violence. He attacks places around here to assert dominance and no other reason.”

“So he’s a bully.” Xue summarized. “We’ve handled his kind before.”

“Are you crazy?” Tama smacked the top of her head, “You are in no shape to fight.”

“Ow.” Xue shot her a glare, “I’m a warrior, that’s my job. If I don’t fight them your home will be destroyed.”

“I don’t think you understand.” Tama firmly held her ground, “If you don’t keep off that leg and allow it to heal properly, you might not be able to do Kung Fu anymore.”

Xue shut her month. The thought of loosing the ability to do kung fu scared her straight. She had been working so hard in her training. She didn’t know what she would do if she couldn’t do Kung Fu anymore. She loved the impact it made on her life. Xue realized she wanted to continue. To join the Five permanently as one of their own. Maybe even be a master one day. But Tama was right. If she didn’t take care of herself then she could loose that dream.

Xue sat on that rock contemplating her dilemma for some time. She assumed Crane must have gone back to the Palace for help. It would still take them another day or so to get here. There was a good chance Chang Wu would attack before the Five got there.

“Is it true that you’re a Kung Fu warrior?” A bunny girl inturruped her train of thought. “Yong says you are.”

Yong and several children had gathered around with interest. Xue sat up straight, “uh, yes. Well, in training.”

“You don’t look like a warrior.” A sheep kid pipped up.

“Yes she does!” Yong defended. “look she broke her leg in battle.”

“Can you teach us Kung Fu?” The bunny girl asked.

“Yeah! I wanna learn how to punch and kick bad guys!”

“Me too!”

Xue chuckled, “You know Kung Fu is more that just beating up bad guys.” Master Oogway’s words dawned on her. “It is also a state of mind. When the mind and the body are in balance, that is when you learn Kung Fu.”

“But what does that even mean?” One of kids asked.

Xue smiled. “It means being connected and aware of your surroundings. So pay attention to everything around you, and then you can learn to punch.”

“Woah!” Yong got giddy at the idea. He and his friends moved along to find awareness.

Xue took a deep breath. She straighten her spine and settled into her seat on the rock. As she deepened her breathing she listened to the life of the village around her. She felt the sun being absorbed though her fur. Any thoughts that crossed her mind she acknowledged and then released peacefully. Clearing her mind, the village became background as Xue settled into a meditative state.

She remained in that spot all day. Tama stopped by when the sun began to do down to try and get her to go inside. But Xue remained in her spot. She was aware of everything around her, she just wasn’t reacting to anything. The only thing she was focused on was her breathing. All else, the cold, the wind, the passage of time, melted away.

Night passed. The sky lightened into dawn. The moments of anticipation, when the world was still quiet before the sun rose. Before anyone was awake. Before anything was about to begin. And as the sun pierced over the peak, Xue heard it. The sound of an ambush about to strike. Just the faintest footsteps in the snow from off in the distance. Only a cat’s ears could ever pick it up.

Xue’s eye’s snapped open. She carefully maneuvered around to grab her crutch and stood. She waited. The noise got gradually louder. She began to spot movement. The raiding party was a few number short from the avalanche. However she kept her guard up. They were coming from upstream, so she was in the best position. Of course as soon as she saw them they saw her. A couple of bandits altered their trajectory towards her. Xue waited for them to get her. Xue used her crutch as a substitute bo. Xue stabbed the first attacker back, followed by an overhead strike, and took out the knee. She twirled the bo around to wind up for a side strike for the next one. She took out another two with her crutch and a few punches all balanced on one leg.

The rest of the infirmary halted. Xue was more of an obstacle than they thought. One of the Dhole stepped out from the group. He had a black spot around his eye.

“Well well, one of the warriors from the mountain. You survived. Well,” he tilted his head to the side and eyed her leg, “most of you did.”

“You must be Li Gan.” Xue held her position. ”This village is under my protection. I want you to leave.”

Li Gan let out a chuckle, “You? You don’t seam like you’re in any condition to stop us.”

Xue glanced at the fallen bandits slowly picking themselves up, “I seam to have taken three of yours out just fine.”

Li Gan eyed his fallen cohorts with mild contemplation. She did have a point. “It is pretty impressive Kung Fu Warrior. Three bandits on one leg. But do you really think you can take out all of us?”

Xue mentally counted the remaining opponents she had. She was vastly outnumbered. The odds were not in her favor. “Maybe not. But I could take you out.”

Li Gan took a step forward. She had piqued his interest. “You think you can beat me in combat, on one leg? My, you are a confident warrior.” He was more seriously contemplating her proposal, she could tell in his eyes. “What is your name Leopard? I wish to know, before I kill you.”

Xue kept her strong composer, “You seam fairly confident you’re going to win.”

Li Gan continued forward, drawing twin daggers, amused, “And you seam confident that I’ll be defeated.” He stopped with in fighting range. The rest of the band stayed back and watched. “Ready.....?”

“Xue.”

“Warrior Xue.” Li Gan gave her a sly grin. “Your defeat will be satisfying.”

Xue adjusted her lean on her crutch, raising her free paw up into a fighting posture.

Li Gan grinned as he rushed in. He was fast. Xue jumped back. Not easy to maintain balance on one foot. She weaponized her crutch once more. Twirling in front of her to coverher body. Li Gan was titanous. He kept moving in and sliced repeatedly with an aggressive style. Xue grunted as she tightened her core so she wouldn’t fall. She looped one of his daggers around with her crutch to form an opening. She struck his face with a palm heel strike, then his arm on a pressure point, and disarmed him of one of his weapons. Xue planted her crutch, pushing off of it to kick him. Li Gan blocked it with his arm but she used it to push off into a back flip, and land with some distance away. The landing was a little wobbly but she regained composer.

At this point, villagers had started to come out of their homes. They saw the fighting. Some watched from a distance while others had the common sense to run for cover. Some of Li Gan’s bandits were eyeing the citizens with a eager look. Xue threw the dagger with excellent precision. It imbedded itself in the ground right at one of the wolves feet. She gave him the look that if he tried anything he’d have to deal with her first.

Li Gan, uninhibited by the loss of one of his weapons, charged again. Xue did her best to defend herself without her leg and the majority of her arm holding her crutch. She was having trouble keeping her ground, disarming him without getting cut, and not falling over. Li Gan was enjoying taking pieces of her crutch, ready to start taking pieces of her as soon as he found an opening. Xue’s standing leg was beginning to cramp.

Xue pinched her crutch with her armpit. She grabbed ahold of his arm to control with both of hers. Li Gan snatched the crutch and swept her leg simultaneously. Xue instinctively when into a break fall. She hit the ground with her back, mostly focused on keeping her leg in the air. Li Gan changed his grip and went to impale her. Xue rolled out of the way, receiving warning shot from her leg.

Li Gan had a manic smile. He knew that he had her. He was about to move in to finish the job when there was a commotion. The bandits in the center of the ring were thrown as the Furious Five entered on the scene.

Xue grinned. She pushed herself up with her hands. With her good leg she kicked the dagger out of Li Gan’s hand while he was distracted. Xue hopped back onto her leg, “Looks like you’re the one who’s defeat is coming.”

Li Gan’s amusement was gone. With a growl, he pulled a knife. He threw it at her. Xue dropped to her good side. He used the opening to jump over her and run.

“Xue!” Crane called seeing her fall.

“I’m fine, get him!” She called back.

Crane nodded and flew after the dhole. The rest of the bandits were focused on fighting the five. Xue could see Tigress disarming a spear with just her legs. Mantis flung around a sable with lighting fast movement. Monkey was just take out bag guys left and right, and Viper was making a wolf punch himself in the face. The raiders was disband in a couple of minutes.

When the last bandit fell, the villagers broke out into cheers. Xue pushed herself up to standing. Tama came towards her, picking the crutch up and examining it.

“Look what you did to this.” Tama lectured. “I told you not to fight.

“I’m still alive aren’t I?” Xue smiled brightly. “I’m glad you guys showed up.”

“Dude what happened to your leg?” Mantis asked as the four came up to her.

“Broke it during the fall.”

“I thought snow leopards always landed on their feet.” Mantis tilted his head.

Viper chastised him, “Mantis, that’s not helping.”

Xue rolled her eyes with a smile, “I feel over a cliff in an avalanche, probably hundreds of feet down.” She turned her head to Tama, “Luckily someone found me.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t die.” Tama shook her head, “This one was ready to take on an entire raiding party on a broken leg after spending all night out here.”

“I stayed off my leg like you ordered.” Xue defended as the villagers gathered.

Tigress came forward. Taking her arm, she put it over she shoulder to help take some of Xue’s weight off her one leg. “That was extremely dangerous.”

“I didn’t have a choice.” Xue let Tigress help her to a small set of stairs. “I hoped that Crane had gone to get backup but I didn’t know for sure. I knew Li Gan would come here and that he’s demolish this place unless someone stopped him. Thankfully, he’s bit my challenge. If I had to fight all of them at one then I’d be trampled.”

Crane rejoined the group. “He got away. I’m sorry,”

“It’s alright, his cohorts are all defeated.I don’t think Li Gan will be coming back anytime soon.” Xue carefully rested her bandaged leg.

“No,” Crane looked down in shame, “I mean I’m sorry for not reaching you in time. If I had gotten their sooner you wouldn’t have been hurt.”

“Crane, it wasn’t your fault. We were ambushed. It was an avalanche. It could have happen to any of us.” Xue assured.

“The rest of us should have been their with you.” Viper said.

“What are you gonna do about your leg?” Monkey asked.

Xue looked down, “According to Tama, it’ll take a month or so to heal. It’ll impact my training and take some time to get back to where I was, but if I don’t keep pressure off it, it could heal wrong. A set back for sure,” she trailed off with a shrug.

“Don’t worry about it.” Tigress told her. “Once we get back to the Palace we’ll work with you to get you back on track.”

“Yeah no problem.” Monkey agreed.

“Getting back to the Palace might be a little difficult.” Crane pointed out.

Xue wasn’t worried. Aside from some mild pain in her leg and becoming increasingly tired from her fight, she felt good. Being with her friends put any worries to ease.

Tama stood by, “You should eat first. You haven’t eaten since yesterday. In fact, you all should eat and rest before your journey home. I’ll go prepare some soup.”

Tama left and Yong took her place with wide eyes. He came closer to Xue. “Are your friends warriors too?” He did not get to see the fighting.

“They’re the Furious Five.” Xue enjoyed his gasp of excitement, “and yes, they are my friends.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“And that’s the story.” Xue finished. “After we returned I recovered. I spent most of the time practicing meditation. And when my leg was fully healed, Shifu and the Five helped me get back into my training and in no time I was on track again.”

Po sat on the ground, completely enthralled. “That’s so cool! The fact that you fought Li Gan on a broken leg by yourself, against a hoard of bag guys!”

“it was barely a hoard. More like a party.” Xue found his child-like-wonder cute.

“Did you guys every catch Li Gan?”

“Yes, but that’s a completely different story.”

“Hey guys.” Before Po could ask for more, they were interrupted by Viper and the rest of the Five.

“What are you two doing?” Mantis asked.

“I was telling Po about the time I broke my leg.” Xue gave Tigress a smile as they gathered around.

“Man, you’ve gotten hurt a lot. Like way more that the rest of us.” Mantis said as he jumped up onto Po’s shoulder.

“Well, a lot of animals have tried to kill me.” Xue pointed out.

“Really? Tell me about all of them!” Po said. “I know about Li Gan, and your sisters, and I remember the time you guys battled against the croc bandits of the Shuang River where you are Tigress nearly drowned,” he listed off his fingers.

“Actually,” Crane interrupted knowing full well Po could keep going all day. “We were about to get some lunch.”

“Oh I could totally go for food right now. Hey, why don’t we go down to my Dad’s shop and eat there? He bugs me when I don’t visit.” Po suggested getting up.

“Lead the way, Dragon Warrior.” Xue extended her arm out.

“Awesome. And then, when we get there, you can tell me the rest of the story about Li Gan.” Po chattered.

Xue and Tigress shared a smile as the seven of them walked down the Palace steps.


End file.
